QLD · Townsville Council
Balgal Beach, 4816
Current weather
20.6°CLight drizzle
98% humidity · 4.9 km/h wind · 24.7° / 18.2° today · 2.9 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
In Townsville, Balgal Beach keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. Open skies and rolling countryside set a calm backdrop to everyday routines.
An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state.
This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, with community and employment and housing affordability the main drags compared with similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 998
- Median age
- 58
- Median household income / week
- $936
- Dwelling vacancy
- 25%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 142 of 569
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,192
- Employment rate
- 34.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 35 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 85
- Against the person
- 31
- Against property
- 21
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 85.2
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 32 residents
- State safety percentile
- 89.5th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -9.3%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault152
- Drug Offences79
- Good Order Offences54
- Other Property Damage60
- Traffic And Related Offences84
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Amenities
4 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Rollingstone Community CentreCommunity centre
- restaurant du golfFood Court
- Mystic Sands Golf and Country ClubGolf course
- Playground
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 1/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 2
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 23.8/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6201st in Australia
- State rank
- 1437th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #425 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #917 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 58%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Mystic Sands Golf and Country Clubamenitiesgolf_course
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Rollingstone Community Centreamenitiescommunity_centre
- restaurant du golfamenitiesfood_court
- Assaultcrime152
- Drug Offencescrime79
- Good Order Offencescrime54
- Other Property Damagecrime60
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime84
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
More in Townsville Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.